Bishop, CA--The Inyo National Forest and Bishop BLM Owens Valley District Fire Offices have reported a number of small wildfires resulting from lightning strikes since Sunday, August 18th. Most fires are single trees and are either out or smoldering. Crews have been dispatched to some of the blazes and the interagency team expects control of all fires within the next few days.
Firefighters have been working diligently to suppress all of these lightning fires utilizing fire engines, hand crews, and helicopter water drops. The agencies are conducting aerial reconnaissance flights each day over the forest to assist with detection of new lightning related fires. The reconnaissance flights are part of the normal operating plan after lightning storms.
A fire near Round Valley (2.3 miles north of Pine Creek) was ignited on August 21st and smoke is visible from highway 395 north of Bishop to Tom’s Place. The fire is about one acre and is located in sparse vegetation and surrounded by natural barriers. Steep and rugged terrain combined with strong winds prevented treatment on Thursday. However, the fire is not expected to spread and poses no threat to structures.
Forest visitors are encouraged to follow fire restrictions. According to Acting Fire Chief Tim Dunfee, “Despite recent rains, fuel moisture is still extremely low. We advise all visitors to use caution while recreating on public lands.”
More about fire restrictions can be found at http://www.fs.usda.gov/inyo.
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August 23, 2013 04:49PM |
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